Lawmaker insists on being winner of Cross River North Senatorial PDP primary

A Member representing Ogoja and Yala Federal Constituency of Cross River State in the House of Representatives, Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe, has insisted that he is the rightful winner of last Saturday’s Cross River North Senatorial primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had scheduled Cross River North Senatorial bye-election on October 31, following the death of Rose Oko who represented the constituency.

A former Chairman of Cross River State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Stephen Odey was declared the winner of the PDP primary election, and the Chairman of the electoral panel, Olorogun Tebite has since submitted a report of the election to the party’s National Working Committee.

But Agom-Jarigbe at a press conference in Abuja maintained that he won the primary election with 381 out of 497 valid votes cast which was contained in an INEC Certified True Copy of exercise which he brandished before journalists.

The lawmaker said he has initiated legal action against the PDP to seek redress against the result of the polls and accused the party’s National Chairman, Uche Secondus of adopting the ‘fake’ election result which declared Odey as the winner.

He blasted the Governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade for trying to impose Odey as a candidate for the Cross River North Senatorial polls with the intention to push him and take the seat when his tenure expired in 2023.

“The governor wants him (Odey), as his stooge, so that he can return to the Senate later; but we cannot allow that. He (the governor), is a failure. He has failed as Governor. No infrastructure; there is nothing on the ground in Cross River.

“The governor wanted to put a stooge, a few people will have such tendencies that are mega-millennial in nature. You cannot rule all the offices at the same time. Yes, the governor is a leader of the party but that does not his exclusive reserve to keep all the positions to himself.

“We did not donate the party to him as a franchise, we voted for him to be governor and at this point in time, we don’t think he’s doing well and we don’t want him to go back to the Senate; he was there before and he has come to become Governor, we don’t have roads, we don’t have water, we don’t have rural electrification, and then you think we are a conquered generation, we are not,” Agom-Jarigbe said.

He also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to investigate the gruesome murder of one of his constituents, Charles Onweh during the election.

Giving an account of violence during the primary election, the lawmaker said: “It is to my knowledge that there had been incessant calls from Hon. Cynthia Nkasi, that kept coming with disturbing regularity seeking to know the location of Emmanuel Egwu and his associates, in real-time, and by extension, their final destination.

“Yielding to the plea and pressure of Hon. Cynthia Nkasi, Emmanuel Egwu, and his associates had a brief stopover to hear and understand the issues the said Cynthia Nkasi had the required urgent attention.

“The Confederate of Hon. Cynthia Nkasi and others, in active connivance with some political thugs and criminal elements, attempted to forcefully seize Emmanuel Egwu and kidnap him to an unknown destination.

“I am not unaware of the political undertone and the fears of Cynthia Nkasi, who had earlier alluded to the fact that Emmanuel Egwu is not in the support of their choice candidate (Steven Odey), as such, all efforts must be made to either coerce him into joining them or outrightly eliminating him and his associates in furtherance of their plot to commit these unlawful acts.

“It is my further brief that the Dogs of war were let loose so soon after Emmanuel Egwu, put up a resistance. The mayhem that was unleashed, led to the gruesome murder of Charles Onwe and the grievous bodily harm on others who were jointly attacked with dangerous weapons at the behest, control, and command of the respondents.

“This brigandage led to the loss of life and properties, leaving the dependents of the deceased in despair, while the survivors are left in perpetual fear of their lives”.